Eat
by DustyDreams
Summary: Kurt is wasting away, and Finn is the only one who knows how to help him.


Written for a Kink_Meme prompt, asking for Bottle Feeding and Cuddling.

"Come on, Buddy," Burt rubs his son's back, willing him to come back from his near-catatonic state. "You've got to eat something. It's just toast, whole wheat like you like. Just take a few bites?"

Kurt doesn't respond, staring unseeingly at the far wall.

Burt drags a hand over his face in frustration and Carole puts a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm him. She sets the plate of cold, plain toast on the bed, just under Kurt's chin, "We're just going to leave this here, and if you get hungry, you can eat it, all right, Sweetheart?" With that, she grasps Burt's hand and urges him to follow her upstairs. There's no use in trying to heal Kurt at this moment when they are so close to the breaking point themselves.

As soon as it shuts the basement door, Burt's hand is back to raking across his features, "It's been a week. He's not eating, he's barely sleeping, he hardly moves. He just lies there. I don't know what to do, Carole. I just... I don't know what to do."

Carole pulls him over to the couch, completely oblivious to Finn's presence five feet away, and holds Burt as she comfortingly shushes him.

Burt talks on anyway, voice tight with worry, "He's my son, Carole. He's my son and he's just wasting away. I'm his father. I should- I'm supposed to- He's my baby."

It's possible this is what gives Finn his idea. It's true that this is the exact moment it arrives, but Finn's never sure where his thoughts come from. All he knows is he's now rummaging through the yet-to-be-unpacked boxes in his room.

When his mom found out about Baby Drizzle, she bought a few things to be prepared. One of those things was a bottle. Once the true parentage came to light, all the other supplies were returned to the store, but the bottle was left on his dresser as an oh-so-gentle reminder not to surprise his mom with anymore grandchildren before graduation.

He finds the bottle under four unmatching socks and a Wolverine action figure.

He brings the bottle down to the kitchen, passing his quietly crying parents, and washes it in the sink. Well, he rinses it off.

He knows he can't just shove a sandwich in the bottle. He tried that when he was three and distinctly remembers failing. He settles on milk. Totally appropriate, right?

He walks right into Kurt's basement room. There hasn't been a point in knocking since Kurt was expelled from Dalton.

Kurt is exactly where their parents left him, staring at the same spot on the wall, accompanied by the same uneaten toast.

Finn moves the plate and bottle to the nightstand, out of the way.

Kurt doesn't even blink.

Finn sits next to his brother and slides his hands under the smaller boy's neck and knees. He expects a protest, some flinch or grunt in the negative, but he gets nothing.

He leans against the headboard and brings Kurt to his chest.

Kurt blinks and his eyebrows twitch together.

A long arm reaches the bottle and brings it to Kurt's lips.

The lips don't part.

Another blink and Kurt's staring up in confusion, actually meeting Finn's eyes.

"You've got to eat," Finn explains.

A tiny whimper, a protest, the most communication Finn's received from his little brother in seven days.

Eating is more important, though. Keeping him alive is more important.

Finn runs his fingers through Kurt's hair, something his mom does to relax him. "Shh, it's okay. Just open up."

Kurt's too weak to accomplish anything more than a slight shake of the head.

Finn brings the pad of his index finger to Kurt's bottom lip and pushes ever so slightly.

The jaw falls open and the bottle goes in.

Finn's fingers return to Kurt's hair, "Come on, you can do it."

Kurt gives in, closing his lips around the rubber top and giving a small suck.

"There you go," Finn encourages. He moves his hand down to rub Kurt's belly, hoping to ease the sudden digestion.

Kurt drinks more, eats more, slowly suckles his way back from death's door. The bottle is half empty by the time he stops, too exhausted for even this mild activity. His head falls to Finn's chest, his body completely limp.

"Thank you," Finn whispers into his hair. Then he slips out from under him, gently laying Kurt's body on the mattress.

Kurt feels a soft blanket fall over him as Finn whispers, "Go to sleep now." Kurt finally lets himself rest.

He's awoken by fingers carding through his locks.

"Hey, Kurt," Finn greets softly, "you can go back to sleep in a bit, but I want you to eat some more first."

Kurt is lifted back into Finn's arms, again cuddled to his chest, and Kurt relaxes into the comforting hold. He rests his head against Finn's shoulder and begins eating as soon as the bottle enters his mouth. It's chicken broth this time, and Kurt drinks it down more hungrily.

The soothing hand is back at his stomach, rubbing circles. He closes his eyes, surrounded by comfort, trusting Finn to nurse him back to health.

He eats until his stomach won't allow anymore. When he feels Finn pull the bottle away, he reaches up and grabs the collar of his shirt. He feels Finn lean a bit, hears the bottle land on the nightstand, and feels Finn right himself.

"I'm not going anywhere," his big brother promises.

Kurt's grip relaxes slightly, but he doesn't let go.

Finn slowly leans forward, then back, then forward, then back, rocking his baby brother in his arms.

Kurt lets out a contented sigh, relaxing further.

It happens without him thinking about it. The opening melody of Stand By You hums out of his throat. He's associated that song with Kurt ever since he had him sing it to his baby, and now, Finn realizes, the lyrics are kind of appropriate. So he sings them. Softly.

Kurt's mouth curls into a smile, an expression Finn didn't realize he's been missing.

Kurt's asleep again before the song's over.

Finn's back down there for breakfast the next morning. Kurt turned over in his sleep, his muscles finally receiving enough fuel to move again, so he's lying on his stomach.

Finn gently rubs his back, not wanting to startle him. As soon as Kurt moans, he knows he's awake. He lifts him up and cradles him in the now familiar position.

Kurt nuzzles under Finn's chin.

Finn strokes his hand down Kurt's arms, offering up the comfort he's seeking. "I brought you orange juice this time, and I thought maybe you could try eating some toast. Juice first?" Finn brings the bottle to Kurt's lips.

Kurt immediately begins to suck it down.

Finn's hand automatically rubs circles into Kurt's tummy.

Kurt hums happily around the bottle as he finishes the last drop.

"Good job," Finn praises. He breaks off a piece of toast and brings it to Kurt's lips, "Try?"

Kurt opens his mouth trustingly and allows the morsel to be placed on his tongue. He chews slowly and swallows it down. He opens his mouth and allows Finn to feed him the whole toasted slice.

Kurt hears Finn set the plate out of the way and suddenly he's being lifted, held chest-to-chest in what he slowly realizes is a hug. "You've gonna' be okay, Kurt. Everything's gonna' be okay."

Kurt soaks up the warmth of the long hug.

Finn lowers him back to the bed, lays a blanket over him, and leaves him to sleep.

Kurt lies there, eyes closed, for all of five minutes before he decides sleep isn't coming. He's tired, but he doesn't want to sleep yet. Not here.

He pushes his back off the mattress with stiff arms and scoots to the edge of the bed. His feet drop to the ground and he slowly rises on wobbly legs. He hasn't travelled further than his en-suite bathroom in a week. The stairs are daunting, but he's determined. He wants up them, he wants to get to Finn, so he does.

He finds his brother on the living room couch, trying to distract himself with the TV until the next meal.

"Kurt!" Finn is understandably surprised to see him.

Kurt just collapses onto the cushions, his head in Finn's lap, his hand wrapped in Finn's shirt.

Finn's fingers immediately find their way through his hair.

This is better. Kurt falls asleep.

It takes two weeks for Kurt to be deemed healthy, two days healing for every one spent wasting away, and Finn is there every step of the way.

They don't talk about it. They don't mention his expulsion or depression or how Finn brought him back to life. They don't mention why there's a bottle in Kurt's nightstand drawer.

Kurt expresses his gratitude for his brother in the kitchen. He cooks a Finn Favorite every night, exchanging nourishment for greasy nourishment.

And after every dinner, they curl up on the couch and cuddle until Kurt falls asleep.


End file.
